Greene County Legislature race in Catskill has seven candidates seeking four seats

CATSKILL, N.Y. -- Seven candidates are vying for the four Catskill seats on the Greene County Legislature.

Republican incumbents Karen Deyo and Joseph Izzo will be joined on the ballot by Paul Brown, Linda Overbaugh, Joseph Kozloski, Kevin Lennon and Vincent Seeley. The top four vote-getters in Tuesday's election will serve a three-year term.

Deyo, Izzo, Brown and Overbaugh will appear on the Republican and Conservative lines, while Kozloski, Lennon and Seeley will appear on the Democratic and Independence lines. Kozloski also will appear on the Working Families line.

Deyo, 55, has served 18 years as a legislator and is a graduate of Catskill High School. She is married to Myron Deyo and has an adult son and a granddaughter.

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"We need to restore and improve our economic health and job base," Deyo said. "We need to help facilitate the creation of high-quality jobs, create new investments and help ensure the county's long-term health."

Deyo said that to create jobs, the county needs to grow its economy, which is why she supported a proposed water park project.

Deyo said she also supports the Downtown and Waterfront Revitalization Plan, which aims to create jobs, bring tourists to the area and improve the quality of life for residents.

Deyo added that property taxes have to be stabilized or reduced for business to survive.

Izzo, 69, is seeking a second consecutive term on the Legislature. He has a bachelor of science degree from Empire State College and served as a Catskill village trustee from 1981 to 1984, a county legislator from 1984 to 1994 and as Catskill town supervisor from 1995 to 2008. Izzo and his wife, Katherine, have three adult children.

"We need the public's cooperation in conveying to our state and federal elected officials that the only way cities, towns and villages in New York state will survive and prosper is to let local school boards, village, town and county officials manage their affairs," Izzo said. "Less intrusive regulations, state intervention and the real ability to manage the workforce is a real possible path to local freedom."

Brown, 54, owns Cat Trax Inc. and has an associate's degree in information technology from Ulster County Community College. He is married to Ruth Brown and has six adult children. Brown served on the Catskill Board of Education from 1995 to 1999.

Brown said he wants to examine local, county and state policies that unduly interfere or hinder employers from hiring new employees.

"By reducing the burdens on small business, I hope to create a level of stability in which business owners do not have to guess how much each employee will cost from year to year," Brown said.

He said he also wants to form coalitions to lobby the state and federal governments as a way to reduce and eliminate mandates. Additionally, Brown said, there needs to be reform of state taxation and regulation to make New York more business-friendly.

Overbaugh, 67, is the executive director of the Heart of Catskill Association. She graduated from the Albany Memorial Hospital School of Nursing. Overbaugh and her husband, Harold, have two adult children.

Overbaugh said her priorities for the county include economic development, tourism enhancement, supporting small businesses and job creation, and that she has focused on all of those issues as director of the Heart of Catskill Association.

Overbaugh said her association was instrumental in the siting of the Athens Generating power plant, pushed the effort to site Walmart in Catskill and has held the Cat'n Around Catskill public art display, which brings visitors into the community.

"I would take the experience I have gained over the years and apply it at the county level to continue to grow Catskill," Overbaugh said.

Kozloski, 60, is an assistant foreman/laborer for the state Bridge Authority and is shop steward for Local 050 of the Civil Service Employees Association. He earned a bachelor's degree in sports science from SUNY Brockport and has served on the Catskill Village Board for nearly eight years. Kozloski and his wife, Susan, have three adult children.

Kozloski said his priorities for the county include infrastructure improvements and the sharing of sales tax revenues.

Lennon, 50, is a technical support engineer for Siemens Medical Solutions and serves on the Catskill Town Board. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1983 to 1988 and has associate's degrees in electrical technology and avionics technology. Lennon and his wife, Jennifer, have two adult children.

"We have a lot of pressing issues in our county and town, and I'd like to work eventually on all of them," Lennon said. He said the first priorities, however, are communication systems for police, fire and emergency service units; tourism and the recreational needs of the town's hamlets; and economic development that starts with infrastructure work to make sites "shovel ready."

Lennon said he also would be prudent with taxpayers' money.

Seeley, 45, has been on the Catskill Village Board for nine years, including eight as its president. He is a senior director in business analysis and technology with United Health Group. He is married to Gwen Seeley and has three daughters.

Seeley said Catskill is the hub of the county and that it will take new energy, hard work and experience to make the town a great place to live, work and play. He said he has worked hard for the village and wants to take what he has learned and use it to represent the town on the county level.